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Pete D’Alessandro’s path to NBA executive

Pete D’Alessandro will be introduced as the Sacramento Kings’ new general manager later this afternoon. But how did the Kings’ new front office leader get to where he is today?

Part of his story starts in the world of sports representation. Before working in the front offices of the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors, D’Alessandro cut his teeth with Professional Management Associates, a Washington D.C.-based sports agency founded by Bill Pollak. Now retired, Pollak represented a number of players in the NBA during his time as an agent, including former Kings’ point guard Jason Williams.

At PMA I quickly became involved with our clients and our negotiations. Chris Mullin was one of our clients. We had a great deal in common. He had also been player of the year at St. John’s prior to my attendance there. When he was offered the job as executive vice president of basketball operations at Golden State, we spoke about my joining him. It was an exciting opportunity. Still, moving all the way to San Francisco was difficult for me as my wife had recently graduated Georgetown Law School and begun her career in Washington, D.C. In addition, we had purchased a row house on Capitol Hill. Ultimately, it was an opportunity to work with one of the classiest people in the game. I couldn’t pass it up.

After my tenure with Golden State, I was contacted by Masai Ujiri, who had just taken the head of basketball position in Denver. He and I had known each other as colleagues in the field. He was searching for a person who in addition to having a basketball background, specialized in salary caps issues and negotiations. When he called I was discussing a similar position with another club. But, after meeting with him and team president, Josh Kroenke, it quickly became clear what a special opportunity this was.

Shortly thereafter, I was offered the position as his advisor. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience.

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Founded in 2009, Cowbell Kingdom is a member of the ESPN TrueHoop Network. Its goal is to provide frontline, on-the-ground coverage of the Kings that leads to interesting and thought-provoking discussion amongst readers and viewers.